Habitat restoration, Resilience and risk mitigation
With the help of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) is a once-in-a-generation investment in the nation’s infrastructure and economic competitiveness. We were directly appropriated $455 million over five years in BIL funds for programs related to the President’s America the Beautiful initiative.

Learn more about Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
funds, construction to remove the Gigliotti Dam from the Price River began in January 2023.

The project would remove a privately owned concrete dam on the Price River. The 12-foot dam is no longer needed for water diversion and is a total barrier for fish and wildlife passage. It is also a barrier for recreational boating and a safety issue for angling, both developing economic drivers for the local community. This project will lower the dam by 9 feet and bury the last 3 feet in a series of rocky riffles to open up 0.7 miles of upstream rearing habitat for state priority species Bluehead Suckers and Colorado Cutthroat trout. Project is part of a long-term effort to open up the entire Price River from the confluence with the Colorado River to the Schofield Reservoir 20 miles upstream.  In addition to fish and aquatic wildlife benefits, this project will provide jobs and recreational opportunities that can stimulate and diversify the economy.

Quick Facts:

Project Status

Complete

Location 

UT, Carbon County

NFPP Project Funding

$1,500,000

Restoration Techniques

Dam Removal

Accomplishments

0.7 Stream Miles Reopened

Project Partner Lead

Trout Unlimited

Primary Species Benefited

Flannelmouth Sucker

Following dam removal, willows were planted on either side of the bank to revegetate the area.

The National Fish Passage Program combines technical expertise with a track record of success. 

Implemented primarily through the Service's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Offices, the National Fish Passage Program provides financial and technical assistance to partners across the country. Since 1999, the program has worked with over 2,000 local communities, Tribes, and private landowners to remove or bypass over 3,400 barriers to fish passage fish passage
Fish passage is the ability of fish or other aquatic species to move freely throughout their life to find food, reproduce, and complete their natural migration cycles. Millions of barriers to fish passage across the country are fragmenting habitat and leading to species declines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Fish Passage Program is working to reconnect watersheds to benefit both wildlife and people.

Learn more about fish passage
and reopen access to over 61,000 miles of upstream habitat for fish and other animals.
Staff have expertise in fish migration and biology as well as financial, engineering, and planning assistance to communities, Tribes, and landowners to help them remove barriers and restore rivers for the benefit both fish and people.
 

Fish passage project proposals can be initiated by any individual, organization, government, or agency. However, proposals must be submitted and completed in cooperation with a Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office. (Please note that fish passage projects being used for federal or state compensatory mitigation or required by existing federal or state regulatory programs are not eligible for funding through the National Fish Passage Program.) 

CONTACT A FISH PASSAGE COORDINATOR IN YOUR AREA TO GET STARTED. 

Programs

A person is walks through a large wide culvert that passes under a gravel road. A small river runs through the culvert.
Across the country, millions of barriers are fragmenting rivers, blocking fish migration, and putting communities at higher risk to flooding. Improving fish passage is one of the most effective ways to help conserve vulnerable species while building safer infrastructure for communities and...

Species